Page 8 of Queen Takes Triune
I blinked and the fireplace refocused in my mind. The vision faded away and I was aware of my Blood around me. Silently waiting on me to return.
I turned my head and met Gina’s gaze. She picked up her pen, her eyes bright, her manner eager. Attentive. Ready to carry out my smallest command.
“I need to speak to Dr. Borcht again, at her convenience. It’s not urgent but I’d like her to come here if possible.” Gina’s eyes narrowed with concern a moment, but she jotted the note and didn’t question me. “Is there anything in that Triune folder about scorching the earth?”
Her eyes flared with surprise. “Not that I recall, but I’ll look through all the notes and pull out any references to fire and… scorching.”
I took a few sips of tea and then set the cup aside. “I think I’ll head to bed then. We can continue this discussion tomorrow.”
“Of course. Welcome home, Your Majesty.”
I stood and gave her a hug. “Thank you for helping me make it such a wonderful home. All the improvements are looking great.”
She kissed my cheek before releasing me. “My pleasure. Be sure to explore—there are several surprises already finished waiting for you to discover them.”
“I can’t wait. Is it too much to hope for a couple of months of quiet?”
She smiled. “Not at all. You may even get a few nice quiet years. Triune business moves very, very slowly.”
Years? That would be fucking fantastic. Some of the dread loosened in my stomach. Deep down, I’d been afraid I’d have to go charging to Rome tomorrow. Or next week. Months or even years was definitely doable.
Goddess, let it be so.
3
Llewellyn
It’d only been a few days since my queen had freed me from decades of torture and taken me as her Blood, but those years trapped in Keisha Skye’s nest seemed long distant. Shara’s other Blood were easygoing and accommodating, because they only cared about one thing: our queen’s happiness. As they should.
That she was happy to call her mother’s former alpha to her side and embrace me as her own was a miracle I still couldn’t quite believe. I had no expectations whatsoever. In fact, I’d be perfectly happy to occasionally stand close enough to her to catch the slightest whiff of her scent. Not even her blood—just the smooth, perfect expanse of her gleaming skin. That was enough.
So when she looked directly at me and said, “Llewellyn, with us tonight,” I nearly expired on the spot. Even more shocking, she didn’t request any of her other Blood and made no protest as Rik paired them for their duties and sent them out into the nest.
She looped her arm around Rik’s massive biceps and headed upstairs. Following them, I listened intently to her bond, trying to anticipate her need and desire before she would be forced to ask. She could feed, definitely, but she wasn’t ravenous with hunger. She could gladly fuck too, but again, that need felt secondary. She had something else on her mind. It wasn’t a secret, exactly, though it felt private and heavy, so I didn’t pry.
The tower bedroom was definitely fit for a powerful vampire queen. They’d found a huge bed that could easily accommodate even several big, bad Blood. The rounded stone walls felt like a foot thick, and while there were several windows, we were high enough to make it harder for thralls to get to her if her blood circle was ever compromised. The ceiling soared an extra story overhead, with thick antique rafters giving an old-world air. Fluffy pillows and bedding in white and fluttering sheers around the bed and windows gave the room a dreamy quality.
I shut the door softly behind me but remained in a guarding position near the door until my presence was requested.
“I’d like to soak in the tub awhile. I still feel gross after touching Ra, though I know it’s all in my head.”
Rik opened another door and steam billowed out. “Looks like Winston foresaw your desire for a long soak.”
She sighed happily as she tugged her sweater over her head. “I love that man.”
I watched her undress like a starving beggar on the street stands outside a restaurant, watching the patrons dine inside. Every Isador queen I’d known was gorgeous, but Shara took that beauty further. She was so breathtaking that it hurt to look at her. Her power made every inch of her shine with a soft, inner light, glowing as if she’d swallowed the moon.
A glorious hurt that I imprinted into my memory so I could pull this scene back up and remember every precious moment. The way her skin seemed to glimmer like raw silk. The long fall of inky black hair down her back. The spark of her eyes when she glanced over her shoulder at me. The quirk of her luscious lips.
“Are you going to stand at the door all night, or take a bath with me?”
“Whichever you desire, my queen,” I rasped out, trying to keep my face smooth and relaxed, even though my gryphon shrieked with urgent glee at the thought of joining our queen for a bath. Even if all she wanted was someone to wash her hair.
She toed off her tennis shoes and shoved her jeans and panties down her thighs, bending down to work the denim off each foot. Staring at her ass, I swallowed hard and fisted my hands at my sides. She was my former queen’s daughter. She’d already indicated reluctance at the thought of fucking a man who’d fucked both her mother and aunt. Though she had allowed me to join her before in New York, she’d been desperate. Her energy reserves had been extremely low, and she’d worked her way through all of us.
“I desire you to join me.”
Her voice wound around me like warm velvet. I had my clothes ripped off before she could even straighten. When I scooped her up in my arms, she laughed and looped her arm around my neck.
